Rise of the Zodiac
by VioletHeart3899
Summary: Book 1 of The Zodiac Trilogy. What if Stan and Ford hadn't started fighting in the Fearamid? What if the Zodiac had worked? What would have happened next, and what would be the aftermath . . . ?
Pacifica took McGucket's hand.

The floor shook. The sound of thunder gathering outside could be heard. A bright blue glow spread around the circle as everyone watched in awe.

"Great Uncle Ford!" Dipper gasped. "I think it's working!"

"Yes! This is it!" Ford turned to the bystanders. "The rest of you get out! It's too dangerous!" The room cleared, leaving only the ten on the Zodiac.

"We just need one more person . . . " Ford glanced at the empty space to his left, etched with the symbol from Stan's fez. He looked up to see Stan staring out the hole in the wall, his back to the Zodiac.

"Stanley! Stanley, get over here! You're the only one left!"

Stan turned. "You realize this a bunch of hog wash, right? Ya really think some caveman graffiti is gonna stop that monster?" He gestured towards Bill, viciously attacking the Shacktron outside.

The others scowled at him.

"Dang it, old man, now's not the time!"

"Come on!"

"What are you doing? You're gonna ruin this!"

"I've never held hands this long and I am _very_ uncomfortable!"

"Woah, hey, I'm not the enemy here, people!" Stan trudged towards Ford. "Don't forget who literally created the _end of the world!_ "

"I'm sorry, Stanley," Ford pleaded, "I know it's my fault. Just help me fix it, please!"

"Why?! So you can blame me when everything goes wrong?!"

"What?"

"I tried to fix your project, Poindexter! Forty years ago I _tried_ to fix your project, but you just blamed me for breaking it on purpose!"

Ford's eyes widened. "Stanley, this isn't about-"

" _AND THEN_ you don't talk for me for ten whole years, yet I drop everything to come help you when you need me, and what for? Just so you can tell me to get away from you again!"

"Stan . . . "

" _ **I'm not finished, Ford!**_ " Hot tears stung his eyes. "So then you end up getting sucked into some nightmare dimension. Now that _was_ my fault, and I worked for thirty years to fix it! Thirty years of my life, Ford! Thirty years of not knowing whether you were alive or dead, and of eating myself up inside knowing that whatever happened to you, happened because of _me!"_

He sniffed. "Thirty years, and when I finally get you back, how do you thank me? By right hooking me in the face and blaming _me_ for the end of the world! You've never wanted me to help you fix anything before, so why should I now? What makes you so sure I won't just screw it up like you insist I always do?"

Silence fell over the room. Dipper looked at Ford, not sure what to do next.

Ford sighed. He released Robbie's hand and stepped away from the circle, the blue glow slowly fading from him.

"Stanley . . . " He put a hand on Stan's shoulder. "I . . . you're right. You've always done so much for me, and . . . but I never meant for you to think . . . I mean, I really _did_ appreciate it, Stanley.

Stan snorted. "You sure have a funny way of showing it."

Ford chuckled bitterly. "Yeah, some brother I turned out to be . . . heck, none of this would've ever happened if I hadn't gotten so upset over my stupid project."

He looked crestfallen. "And Stanley, the only reason I was mad at you for reopening the portal was . . . well, it just seemed so stupid, to me, that you would think getting me back was more important than the safety of the universe. But I guess I haven't done much better . . . my own anger and grudges certainly weren't more important than the universe, yet I held on to them."

"And how!"

"But not anymore." He squeezed Stan's shoulder. "Stanley, I'm so sorry I didn't forgive you for everything sooner. I know it's a lot to ask for you to forgive me right now, but . . . " He raised a hand. "High-six?"

Stan stared at him for a moment. Then, without a word, he attacked Ford in a hug. Ford was caught off guard, but quick to return the embrace.

Mabel grinned at the sight. " _Awww . . ._ "

Dipper glanced out the hole in the wall. "Um, guys . . . ?"

" _Shh!_ Don't ruin the moment, bro-bro!"

"But Bill . . . "

Stan laughed wryly. "Y'know, I guess I haven't done much better than you either, Sixer. Here I was getting all mad at you for holding a grudge and bringing the end of the world, when my own grudge is about to do the same! Speaking of which . . . "

He firmly took Ford's hand. With that, they exchanged a smile before making their way back to the circle, together.

* * *

"Hey Achilles!"

Bill grabbed the Shacktron by an unprotected leg and pushed it to the ground. "Nice work with the _heel!_ " With that, he ripped the leg off and swung it, sending the Mystery Shack flying through the air like a golf ball.

A sound of thunder came to his attention. He turned to see dark clouds swirling around the Fearamid.

" _What the . . . ?!_ "

He flew back to the Fearamid at light speed, only to stop outside the hole in the wall. A glowing blue circle stood in the center of the throne room. A closer look revealed ten figures standing in the circle.

" _What are you nerds doing?!_ "

Ford looked up at him with a smug smile. "I told you I knew your weakness, Bill! Now we're here to stop you once and for all!"

Bill froze for a moment. Then he burst into laughter.

"Oh my gosh! I've said before that it's funny how dumb you mortals are, but this . . . this is just perfect! Do you brainiacs really think a spray-painted circle can stop _me_ , an all-powerful being of pure energy? Destiny isn't all it's cracked up to be, ya know! And even if you did stand a chance, you've just brought every threat to my power together in one easy-to-destroy _circle!_ "

With that, he cast a fireball at them. But before it could strike, a blue bubble suddenly sprung up and deflected it back at Bill's eye.

Blasted back, Bill screamed. He rubbed his eye, then opened it to find the Zodiac glowing even brighter. So he couldn't break them up by force . . . but if he could persuade even one of them to leave the circle. . .

"Hey, flesh-bags! You realize that by going through with this, you're only going to exhaust your own life force, right? Just where did you think that 'mystical human energy' was coming from, anyway?"

Nervous glances were exchanged around the circle. It was working! . . . Or was it? An air of seriousness fell over the whole group, and the energy became even brighter.

"Don't you get it? If you take me down, you're all coming with me! Are you really just gonna sit there and tell me that none of you care?!"

The Zodiac remained unmoved. The glow was nearly white by this point.

Bill became flustered. "You _idiots!_ Who in their right minds would sacrifice themselves just for the rest of the dumb universe?!"

After a pause, the members of the Zodiac looked up at him in unison.

"We would."

A bluish-white blaze exploded from the center of the room. Bill flew away in an instant. If he could just get away from it, he'd be fine . . . or so he thought as he crashed into the barrier still surrounding Gravity Falls.

He frantically pounded at the force field. "Let me out of here! _Let me out!_ " He blasted the barrier with fire, but to no avail. " _Why isn't this working!?"_

At that moment, a searing pain overcame him. The force of the Zodiac had caught up with him.

"No! **NO!** " He writhed in agony and watched helplessly as his body began breaking apart, brick by brick.

" _No!_ This isn't over! This isn't the end of me! It can't be- **AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!** "

With one final yell, Bill Cipher crumbled into oblivion.

* * *

It was over.

The swirling rift in the sky had closed. The floating pyramid was obliterated. The demons menacing the townsfolk had been blasted back into whatever nightmarish dimensions they'd come from.

Gravity Falls was back to normal . . . or at least as close to normal as it'd been before.

"There they are!"

Mayor Cutebiker had led a small group into the woods to search for the people who'd been glowing before the Fearamid was evacuated. Sure enough, they were all still together, laying in a sunny forest clearing, still holding hands in circular formation.

"Citizens of Gravity Falls, I present the heroes of the universe!" Everyone cheered.

Preston Northwest walked towards the circle. "Pacifica, you _are_ a hero! Your mother and I have never been so proud . . . now _get off the ground!_ What are you thinking, laying there in the dirt and grass and . . . "

He stopped. " . . . Pacifica?"

Greg and Janice Valentino stepped forward next. "Robbie Stacy Valentino, you're such a brave boy!"

"Come here, son!" The couple merrily lifted their son into a hug.

And gasped.

Since the age of thirteen, Robbie had always been oddly cool to the touch, but . . .

"Robbie?" His father shook him gently. "Robbie?" He glanced around the circle.

The others weren't responding, either . . . in fact, it was rather strange that none of them had moved at all since . . .

" _The rest of you get out! It's too dangerous! . . ._ "

"Oh my God . . . "

Preston Northwest looked up from his own daughter. "What?"

Greg Valentino couldn't remember the last time he'd cried, especially over the subject of . . . but now he could feel tears well up in his eyes as he struggled to swallow a lump in his throat.

" . . . they're dead."


End file.
